Headrest
by Naviar
Summary: If it's one thing Ludwig can't stand about his brother, it's his habit of making Ludwig his own personal headrest. Human names, Germancest if you squint. With a magnifying glass. Brotherly fluff


AN: Hi there! First off, if you're reading this, then thank you! It means a lot to me!

PRAUS, I'm procrastinating writing a follow up chapter for Brothers… heh ^^" I'll get to it. Eventually.

So, in the first segment, I'm saying that Ludwig is about 10 years old, maybe pushing 12. The second segment, go with anywhere from 14-16. Whatever floats your boat. And, the last 2 segments are just… regular Ludwig, (which is, what, 20? 25? Meh, I don't even know). So, ya. On with the oneshot!

I'm pretty glad I don't own Hetalia. I'd have no clue what to do!

"Gilbert! Get off!"

If there was one thing that Ludwig couldn't stand about his brother, it was how he always used him as an armrest. Sure, he was short, but he wouldn't be short forever. When he got older, he was going to give Gilbert a piece of his mind.

"But Luuudwig! You're perfect elbow resting height!" Gilbert whined, his arm not budging from Ludwig's head.

"I'm trying to finish my homework here, bruder. Go get your own work done, I'm sure you've got some." The young blonde sighed. Sometimes, he swore he was the older brother.

Gilbert huffed. "You're no fun, Luddy. I don't have to do my work if I don't want to, and you don't either!"

"…Gilbert, if you don't do your work, the country will go into an economic downfall." Ludwig sighed.

"Only for a little while! Besides, I'm too awesome for my country to go down the tubes!" the albino reasoned.

"Just get the work."

"…Fine."

When his brother took his arm off Ludwig's shoulder, the blonde let out a sigh of relief. If Gilbert was in his study, maybe, just maybe, he could finish his homework before Gilbert came back to terrorize him. He could tolerate most things about his brother, but something just snapped in him when he was used as an armrest.

Finally, he let the silence settle in, and relished in the quiet scratching of pencil against paper.

Trust Gilbert to screw that up.

"Hey Luddy! I just got this great idea!" Gilbert said, papers streaming behind him as he rushed into the room.

"Since I'm left handed, I can rest my elbow on your shoulder while I sign these papers! Isn't that awesome?" he explained enthusiastically.

Ludwig's shoulders dropped as his brother came up behind him, grin wider than what was humanly possible as his arm came to rest on his younger brother's head. Again.

Not even bothering to argue against his brother, (or push off his brother's rather heavy arm), the blue eyed boy turned back to his papers, trying to drown out his brother's voice.

Ever since Ludwig got into his teenage years, he'd been volunteered for cooking. Sure, his brother could cook. The maids could cook. A chef, of course, could be hired. But, as his brother claimed, a part of being strong was being able to cook on your own. His brother went to great lengths to explain that if a man knew how to cook, there was no need to be married, and you could stay independent for as long as you'd like. He could even go as far as to cancel Ludwig's courses for time to cook.

Of course, it helped that Gilbert always seemed to be around to eat whatever his brother happened to be cooking at the time.

And so, Ludwig was in the kitchen, and a faithful Gilbert on standby. But, of course, the albino wouldn't just wait patiently for lunch to be cooked. He had taken to irritating Ludwig as much as he possibly could.

By resting his chin atop Ludwig's head.

And that didn't even stop the albino from rambling on about his day.

"I swear I could run the government entirely on my own! If they gave me full control, we'd take over the world! Then, we wouldn't have to think about getting along with other countries! They'd all be dead!" Gilbert ranted, chin remaining stationary on Ludwig's head.

"Bruder."

"I mean sure, it'd be a little gory,"

"Bruder."

"And maybe a couple 'a people would die,"

"Bruder."

"But still! It'd be the simplest solu-"

"Bruder!"

"Yeees, Luddy?"

"Get your chin off my head!" the teenager yelled, attempting to glare at his brother.

"But it'd be no fun that way! Besides, I've had a long day! I deserve to rest my head." The conqueror grumbled, making grinding noises with his teeth to irritate Ludwig.

"You can rest your head on someplace other than my head!"

"…Is the wurst ready yet?"

"…Yes…" Ludwig replied, resigned.

Gilbert's face lit up, and he lifted his chin from his brother's head, ending his headache. In record time, he grabbed a plate, took all of the wurst, and ran off, cackling like a madman. Or a Prussian.

And Ludwig couldn't help but smile.

After Prussia had been officially dissolved, Ludwig had gone through a serious growth spurt, leaving his brother in the dust. He assumed all the duties of the house, taking on the workload of the entire country. He didn't want any help from his brother, as the country was now his responsibility, and his alone. Prussia no longer had anything to do, but represent the state his country had been forced down to.

This of course, left him ample time to irritate the workaholic known as Ludwig.

Sitting himself down in his most comfortable armchair, Ludwig let his mind clear, glad for once that all his work had been finished at a reasonable time. He considered reaching for his favourite book. He hadn't had the chance to read it for weeks, and the plot was taking an unexpected twist.

Though he was reluctant to stand up, he knew his book was off in the library. And that was presuming Gilbert hadn't stolen the book simply to spite him.

Finally willing himself to get out of his comfy armchair, Ludwig began making his way over to his library.

"Hey, West!"

Damn.

Gilbert made his way over, immediately resting his arm on Ludwig's shoulder.

One of the blonde's eyelids twitched.

"So, you're finally done all your work, huh?" the albino inquired, smirking.

"Ja, ja, now just get off, I want to actually relax for once." Ludwig sighed, raising a hand to his temples.

"You know what relaxes you more than anything?" the Prussian hinted, putting his full weight on Ludwig.

"…"

"BEER!" Gilbert yelled, striking his free fist into the air in a victory yell.

And for once, Gilbert's suggestion didn't send him into a fury. It didn't make him fear for his sanity, and even more shockingly, it didn't make him worried in the slightest. For once in his life, Gilbert had suggested something that Ludwig would like very much.

He allowed a small smile to grace his lips, as he turned to his brother, who looked at him with hopeful eyes.

All Gilbert had tried to do after his dissolution was instigate some true brotherly activities. Although he didn't ask him outright, (he preferred to smack Ludwig in the head with a tennis ball if he wanted to play tennis), all he had wanted was to spend some time with his brother.

And of course, Ludwig couldn't turn down the begging look on his brother's face.

"Alright, let's get some beer."

"Really? Awesome! Let's go, let's go!" Gilbert shouted, running to grab his coat (and Ludwig's), to get some beer as quickly as possible.

Ludwig let out a rare laugh, gratefully accepting the coat from his brother, and setting out for the nearest bar. They were going to drink until they couldn't drink anymore.

Glancing over into the living room, Ludwig watched his brother silently.

After his time behind the wall, Gilbert was different. Currently, he sat, watching TV, sipping a drink. This was typical Gilbert behaviour. What wasn't typical was that underneath his blanket, you could see his ribs, and countless bruises. Or, the blank expression that donned on his face. Ludwig highly doubted that the albino even knew what was on the television, considering he was watching Desperate Housewives without changing the channel once.

Ludwig could never forget what it felt like to hug his brother after their long separation. It was a rush of happiness, and of course, he couldn't keep tears from sliding down his face at the thought of a finally unified Germany. However, when he clutched at his brother, the cloth sagged before hitting bone, not muscle. His brother's grip was weak, and he more slumped against Ludwig than hugged him.

What Gilbert had endured for Ludwig's safety, he couldn't imagine.

And now, seeing him so defeated, not bothering to plan any pranks, it hurt Ludwig like nothing had before.

He made no move to rest his arm on Ludwig's head.

He made no move to rest his chin on Ludwig's head.

He made no move to rest his arm on Ludwig's shoulder.

Though it had irritated the blonde to no end, he wished his brother would make an effort towards irritating him.

Sighing, Ludwig walked over to the couch, where the absently watching Prussian sat, and sat next to him.

"What are you watching?"

Gilbert blinked twice slowly, glancing up at the screen in interest, before realizing that he didn't care. He shrugged one shoulder. "…Somethin'."

Ludwig shut the TV off.

"Gilbert… if you want to talk to me, you can, you know." The blonde offered, giving a helpful smile.

The albino didn't bother looking up. "Yeah, I know."

They sat in silence, and once Gilbert realized that Ludwig wasn't going to leave without making some progress, he sighed.

He tilted his head to the side, resting it on Ludwig's shoulder.

Ludwig turned his head to the side, watching the former Prussian nation close his eyes.

"Does this still bother you?" Gilbert asked, his voice a shell of what it once had been.

"…You knew it bothered me all along?"

"West, if you thought you were hiding it, you must be dumb as shit." Gilbert replied, a small smile on his face. "But, that doesn't answer my question."

"Not so much now." Ludwig said, wrapping his arm around his brother's thin shoulders. "You used to make me so mad, I swore I was going to throw a revolution."

"You wouldn't have dared. I scared you shitless."

"That was only when I was little! And that's because you gave me fencing lessons!"

"I taught you better than anyone."

"I swear you tried to kill me!"

Gilbert gave a quiet chuckle, shifting his head against his brother's shoulder.

After a time, Gilbert had been silent for so long, Ludwig was sure he had fallen asleep.

"You know, what happened behind the wall was no big deal, and I'd really like for you to just forget it." The albino whispered, his words hardly understandable.

"I can't forget." Ludwig mumbled.

"After I get some meat on my bones, we'll be able to cast this off as a part of history."

"Are you sure?"

"Since when have I given you any reason to doubt me?"

Ludwig couldn't help himself. He burst out laughing, startling the albino into opening his dull crimson eyes tiredly.

"Sorry about that." Ludwig said, still chuckling.

Gilbert groaned in response, slipping into unconsciousness.

His head had remained stubbornly on Ludwig's shoulder.

Though it had peeved him in the past, Ludwig allowed this time as an exception, looking down at his brother. He'd thought Gilbert was a sad excuse for a country before, but now he could see that his brother had truly tried to raise him to be the strongest he could be.

"I love you too, Gilbert."


End file.
